Friday, September 21, 2012

I am usually the one to plan our special nights out, find the sitter and get the details all in order. I was telling Craig that I would LOVE for him to plan a night where I didn't have to take care of any details. So he and his friend Jason heard about a Murder Mystery Dinner Theater in a town near ours and thought that sounded like the perfect plan. The boys originally thought that we would be having dinner while watching a production, but after they bought the tickets they found out that everyone gets a part and it actually very interactive. So - Craig wasn't able to keep the type of date a surprise because we had to dress the part :)

Here we are with our friends Jason and Allison all dress in our 1920's best...thanks to Goodwill and my mother in law for the outfits and accessories!!

Craig and I at dinner

Craig was Harry Highballs - a mobster

I was Caroline Divine - a waitress

We were all at a "nightclub" for dinner

Jason and Allison

Allison was Patty Cake - The head chef

Jason was a reporter - I can't remember his name

Friends :)

Yes...we can be a bit crazy...

Overall, it was a fun night. It was good to do something different. I'm not sure if we'd every do the same thing again. Probably the most fun was finding the outfits and getting dressed up. So, Craig says we'll just have to do our own theme dates of different decades :) I thought that sounded fun! We just might get some interesting looks while we're out!!

Monday, September 17, 2012

My sister, Ryanne, is a children's pastor at a church in Michigan and one of the families at her church is going through an extremely difficult situation. One that I can't imagine being in. Please read a little about their story from their website below and then click on the link if you might be able to donate even just a small amount to help them. Thank you so much!!

Taken from the family's donation site, written by family friends -

Friends of the Giroux Family:

On the morning of August 7, 2012 our 4 year old Goddaughter, Birklee, was taken from this world...way to soon. Since this tragedy, the family's life has been turned upside down. Birklee had a medical history of seizures and died unexpectedly in her sleep without explanation. Due to the lack of evidence, her parents have had to defend themselves against being wrongfully accused of having any kind of role in the tragic death.

During this time of unknown, their 8 year old son has been taken from the home and placed in foster care. Until Birklee's mom and dad can prove their innocence he will remain away from the family. So, it's like this family has lost two children, not just one. At the time of this update, Brody has been away in foster care for about 3 weeks, with absolutely no contact. Here's how Brody's parents are feeling today:

"Today, September 14, 2012 marks 39 days since we have seen our 4-year-old little “Birkie Bubbles,” and 23 days since we have seen our beautiful 8-year-old son, Brody. To lose one child may seem to some as a great misfortune, but to lose two children is to define the greatest sadness anyone could ever imagine. How does one cope with losing a child, let alone two? What do you say to someone who has lost both of their children within two weeks of each other? How do they do it each day? Well, we struggle just to put one foot in front of the other. We have to remember to breathe while trying to nourish and rest our bodies in order to gain the strength we need to fight another day to get our son back."

We are asking for donations and help to compile a team of medical experts to defend this family and bring their life back to a "new normal". We would also like to help provide financial help to them to cover living expenses while they stumble through this trying time.

We realize that these are tough times for many people in this country, but if you could please consider just a small donation to our cause, it will be appreciated more than you know. You can help bring our Godson safetly home!

Please click HERE to visit the donation website and to follow this family's journey to bring Brody home. Thank you so much for your support and for showing Christ's love to this family!!